USDA-NRCS-MT: Watershed Planning Capacity Grant in Montana

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: Watershed Planning Capacity in Montana

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-MT-MULTI-21-NOFO0001063

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 

10.902 Soil and Water Conservation (a.k.a. Conservation Technical Assistance, CTA)

10.912 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

10.924 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

10.931 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

10.069 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary

The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service of Montana, hereinafter referred to as the “NRCS-MT”, is seeking the services of a qualified entity to provide technical and administrative assistance in the development of Watershed Plans related to agricultural water management as follows:

Complete up to 4 Watershed Plans-EA/EIS for use in securing implementation funds under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL-566), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for future implementation of identified plan’s conservation actions.

Assist NRCS-MT in providing general services to Irrigation Districts or other irrigation entities within Montana that qualify for the purpose of preparing projects for implementation, including, but not limited to, consultation with state/federal agencies, contracting, billing/reporting.

Provide general service to NRCS-MT with respect to carrying out technical and programmatic functions to include:

·        Economic support and analysis

·        Engineering and hydrology assessments

·        Stakeholder engagement

·        Data collection/ analysis

·        Comprehensive irrigation system modernization planning

·        NEPA Compliance

·        Public Communications

·        Printing and web publication services.

·        Programmatic and project management support.

·        Project implementation support

·        Establishing, compiling, and delivering project record file (administrative record) which includes all files that are part of the decision-making process, the basis for the decision, and the final decision.

Development of the Watershed Plan-EA or EIS shall comply with the following NRCS guidance:

Principles and Requirements for Federal Investments in Water Resources, Chapter I – Principles and Chapter II- requirements, March 2013 

Principles and Requirements for Federal Investments in Water Resources, Chapter III – Interagency Guidelines, December ,2014

Guidance for Conducting Analyses Under the Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines for Water and Land Related Resources Implementation Studies and Federal Water Resource Investments DM 9500-013  

CEQ & NRCS NEPA Regulations, Guidance, and Documents

National Watershed Program Manual 4th Edition, 1st Amendment, January 2015

National Watershed Program Handbook, 2nd Edition, April 2014.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D.1. for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates

Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 8, 2021. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts. 

Questions related to this funding opportunity may be submitted via email to michele.devaney@usda.gov with the NFO number in the subject line by March 22, 2021. A summary of questions and answers will be posted to the Related Documents tab of this NFO in Grants.gov by approximately March 26, 2021. 

The anticipated selection date for this finding opportunity is May 17, 2021 with an anticipated agreement execution date of June 30, 2021.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $500,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $5,000,000. The funding floor means the minimum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. The ceiling is the maximum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. These numbers refer to the total agreement amount, not any specific budget period.

Federal Financial Assistance Training

The funding available through this NFO is Federal financial assistance. Grants 101 Training is highly recommended for those seeking knowledge about Federal financial assistance. The training is free and available to the public via https://www.cfo.gov/grants-training/. It consists of five modules covering each of the following topics: 1) laws, regulations, and guidance; 2) financial assistance mechanisms; 3) uniform guidance administrative requirements; 4) cost principles; and 5) risk management and single audit. FPAC agencies also apply Federal financial assistance regulations to certain non-assistance awards (e.g., non-assistance cooperative agreements).